The world is at a “civilisational moment” which could result in a tragic decline of Western values, the Speaker of the US House of Representatives has said.
In his first public comments since his election, Mike Johnson called on the West to return to the “Judeo-Christian tradition” on which its greatness was built, writes Daniel Martin. And the Republican said he would look to these values every day as Speaker.
Mr Johnson had been due to attend the Alliance of Responsible Citizenship conference in London, but had to call off the visit when he was elected speaker last week. In an address by video link, he said the West faced a critical question over how it faces the future.
“We will lose our critical connection to our foundational principles, if we answer this question the wrong way,” he said.
“If we enter it the right way, it will lead to renewal rather than replacement or the ultimate decline of our civilization. So here now is a unique opportunity for us to choose renewal, to revitalise our vision of what it means to flourish as individuals, as families, as greater communities.”
The speaker said: “Our better story seeks to return responsibility from government to the citizenry. And most importantly, our better story says that we in the West draw on an extraordinary heritage built on the best of the classical liberal and the Judeo-Christian tradition.”